Convertible bulkbead for refrigerator cars



Nov. 9, 1943. O'CONNOR 2,333,879

CONVERTIBLE BULKHEAD FOR REFRIGERATOR CARS Filed Oct. 2. 1942 INVENTOR.

Patented Nov. 9, 1943 I I GONVER'IZiBLE BULK-HEAD FOR REFRIGERATOR CARS I Arthur--1 OG'imnor, Chicago; Ill}, assignor t- Uni611fi-'Asbests & Rubber" Company; Glii'cago; i 121"], aicorporationuof Illinois:

Application October 2, 1942; seriarmi 460,469

4 Claims:

The invention relates -to.- refrigerator cars, having. an icebunker: in: an a end; thereof separated from amadjacent lading; compartment .by; a .movable bu1khead,- .the bulkhead abeing movable to -a stored: position-adjacentpthe: endwall of the :car when the ice-bunker is not needed The-conventional refrigerator-car has one onmorehatch deflector for the hatch-oneningand discloses-the type of convertible. bulkhead now. being. used :in

refrigerator cars.

. Certain commoditieshauled-inreirigerator cars require ventilationiintransitg in whichzcase. the

hatch. covers are secured. in partly, opened posttions. Certain. other. commoditiessrequire. that the hatch covers be.-securedsiniclosed.position-to prevent. air entering the. Carin.transit.- The lock- 1 ing means for. seeuringqthe hatch .cover in closed position (to prevent opening. of the; coverin transit) must be operable from the inside..,of;the

car only, asv theoperators ,at-iicingmtationamight otherwise open. them. by mistake. and "cause damage to the.lading.. It -isv0ne.of; the. principal ob.- jects of the. present. invention. to .provide..im proved lockingimeanasoperabl'e from theinterior of. the. car only, in conjunction -with. a deflector panel. adapted. tov v keep air borne elements? from entering upon the ladingabeneath the hatch opening.

An.- object. of-theinventionis.to: proviuie: improved in eansforlocking; andmn-loeking "therhatch covers of refrigerator cars'from: the i-nterion of the car.

A furtherobject isito proy1de= impmved means for locking and unlocking the h'atch' covers of refrigerator cars from thei-nter-ior-of the-car, in conjunctiow with adeflector panel underneath the hatch opening.

A further object is to'pi'ovid'eimproved means for locking. and unlocking, the hatch coversof refrigerator" cars from the interior of the car, the locking means being readily understandable by a person standing. below the deflector panel and the, locking means.

Another object is. to provide-improved hatch cover locking, means whichwilt remain 111588160- Av further. object is to provide. hatchclosure locking. means; including; elements adapted to protect the lockingmeans frombending or otherwis becoming inoperative due to dropping ob.- jectsuponsaidlocking means. I

Another. object-is. to pnovidev a. combined. deflector andhatchclosure 1ocking.,means. ofsimple andinexpensive construction. I

A further object ist'o provide. ad'efiector, ha /7. ing; an improved hatch cover. locking means. com.- bined therewith. whichw-ill. offer at minimum ob struction to the freemovement of. air through thehatch openingand deflector andinto the car. Other advantages, objects and. capabilities of the ..invention. will appear from. the following description of a preferred embodir'nent. thereof, taken. in conjunction. with... the accompanying drawing,-in.which Figure l. is a fragmentary transverse sectional elevationof. a. portionlof the. endiof. a car,.show ing. the. bulkhead-in stored position. andthe hatch cover locked i'nv closed. position, the view being taken-alonglline.I IjOf'Fi'gLZ. I FigjZis a fragmentary IongitudinaLsectiOnal elevation, of the same endof the, car, taken along line 2-J'2"of'Fig. 11. i i

Fig. 3'. is, av fragmentary sectionalviewf taken along .line 3+3of'Fig, 1.

. Referring tolthe drawing, thenumeral 10. indi'cates theroof,v izfindicates the endiwall and [4 indicates the side wall of a refrigerator can all of which may be. of conventional insulated. construction. Hatch openings l6 maybe provided in the roof" of .the. can above theice. bun Inn, to provide meansfbr ventilatingth'e car and chargr ing the ice bunker with" ice. A hatch cover' 18 may be hingedly secured to the car structure by means of hinges 2d: The hatch cover Htmay, be of conventional insulated construction and" may .be provided. with. the usual closing bar (not shown) on tl're exterior o f'the car; A bulkhead 22 mayextend' transversely of the car ad'aptedto serve as one wall of, an icejbunker in theend'of the car. when extended, and movable to astored position (as-shown. in. the drawing) when theiice bunker is; not required. The. bulkhead 22 may be mounted withinthecar for movement longitudinally thereof,. inv any. of. the.- conventional methods; such; as. by. rollersadjacentthe top. or

bottom of the bulkhead. or both, saidrOllers being supported upon suitable track" meansnaffixed to the can. Thebulkhead may (be provided,

adjacent its; upper margin. with. aideflector 2} the deflector will move in a horizontal plane lengthwise of the car as the bulkhead is moved from stored position (as shown) to extended;- bunker forming position. The deflector may ment of the bolt 58 in both directions by contacting one or the other or the vertical walls which support the bolt. One of the vertical walls of the housing 48 may be provided with a laterally projecting rib 54 extending in a horizontal plane adapted to retain the handle 52 in selective positions to which the handle has been moved manually. The rim 54 may comprise a shelf-like member afllxed toone or the vertical walls or the comprise a metallic sheet extending in a horizontal plane transversely of the car. andextending'= substantially from one side wall l4 tothe OP-JY' posed side wall 14, provided with opposedmarginal upturned flanges 34 and an intermediate 3 marginal upturned flange 38. The margin of the metallic sheet, opposite the flanged margin 38, may be flanged downwardly as indicatedat 38. The upturned flanges 34 and 38 are adapted to form a pan-shaped deflector to preventfrain, cinders, etc., fromentering the car'excepjt'at the downwardly flanged margin 38; where these elements will be directed into the hollow bulkhead 22; and downwardly 'therethrough to d the floor of 'the car.

.While I show, in the drawing, a metallic desector. 24 extending substantially from side wall to side wall of the car I contemplate a deflector made of wood or other suitable material and also contemplate the use of two separate 7 deflectors,- one under each hatchway (there being two hatchways over each bunker ordinarily).

The hatch cover I8 may be provided with a depending lug 4ll aflixedto theunderside there.-

of and adapted to extend downwardly, when the cover is closed, to a position closely adjacent the horizontal portion of the deflector 24. j The lug 48' may comprise a U-shaped metal forging or casting provided at its lower end with'ialigned apertures 42 through the spaced apart members the hatch cover in opposed outwardlyextending flanged portions48 adapted to be secured to the cover by means of ing members. I. v,

The plane portion of the deflectormay have an aperture therethrough adjacent and towone bolts of other suitable fastenhousing 48 and terminating at its opposed end portions short of the adjacent spaced apart walls 01' the housing whereby said end portions ,will

' serve as detents to prevent the handle from moving from one of theselected positions to the opposite positiomns by oscillation, or jarring oi the car in service. The handle 52 may be moved from one of its set positions to the opposite set position by moving it from its normal vertical depending positionto an angular position away from I the detent rib 54,inwhich latter position it will clear the rim 54and may be, moved freely; Upon movementot the handle 52 from oneposltion to the other position '(while the handle isfheld away from the rib 54) it will assume its normal vertical depending position adjacent the'end of therib '54 and remain'in this position until it is inten- 'tionally'changed. A bracket 58 may be'aiflxed to thedeflector in spac drelationshipwith the housing 48 and may'comprise an angle member having a horizontal leg aflixed to the majindeflector sheet andja vertical upstanding leg. The vertical leg may have an aperture therethi-ough in axial alignment with the slide bolt'5li adapted 44 and may terminate adjacent its abutment with 1 side of the lower portion of the lug 48, and

inverted box-like housing48'may be 'aiflx'ed to the deflector with the vertical walls of the housing coincident with the periphery of th aperture, The housing 48 is adapted to provide an upstanding substantially closed housing above they aperture I in the deflector sheet wherein a locking means may bemounted Ior securing the hatch cover and the ventilator injflxed relationship and whereby to prevent rain and dirt from, passing downwardly through the aperture. Two of the opposed vertifcal walls of the housing 48 may be provided with a igned apertures adapted to receive a slide bolt 58 having its axi in a substantially horizontal plane and having slidable supported engagement with the said opposed vertical walls. Intrmediate theopposed vertical walls which slidably sup,- port the bolt 50, the bolt 58 may be provided with fa laterally extending handle 52 rigidly amxed thereto. The handle 52 may normally be dis- 7 posed in a vertical depending position with respect to the bolt58 and may project below; the

to move the bolt 50 into position for locking; the hatch cover or moved in the opposite direction for'unlocking the cover. The handle 52 may also T serve'as a means forlimitingthe slidable-moveto receive the end of'the slide bolt when the hatch cover is locked.

When the hatch cover i head is in stored position adjacent the end wall of the car, the lug 40 is adapted to extenddownwardly from th hatch cover and between the "housing 48, andfthe-bracketfl', with the apertures" of the'lugllland theapertures ot lthe housing 48' and the bracket 58in alignment with the slide bolt 50. inverted U shaped nrember 60 maybe a lxedto'the deflector adapted to protect the end portion of the slide bolt 58 when in "retracted position and to prevent the end portion from'being bent over as by objects fallinguponit. g f I j It is important that a locking means or the type above described be in plain view 01' an operator standing below the deflector and the means of operating the locking means should be readily understandable by looking up at it. as many operators may not be otherwise familiar with the operation and may let the loaded car go out 7 under the impression that the hatch cover-fislocked in closed position whereas it may. not-be locked. In thisevent, the cover may be opened in transit; resulting in costly damage toi'thelading or total loss of the iading.- The presentinvention is. adapted to prevent such a mistake and deflector where it may be grasped by the operator insure the'la'ding reaching its destination an good marketable condition,

-Having thus described my invention, whet-I claim as new and desire to secure by-United States Letters Patent is:' I 4 1. In a refrigerator car having a, hatch in the roof thereof, a hatch cover, and a horizontally disposed movablewallbelow said hatch adapte ii lzo deflect air entering the hatcmmeans for secur ing said cover in closed positioncomprls'in a detent on said cover and cooperativedetent means on said movable wall, said last named detent means includingan aperture through said :wall provided with upstanding peripheral walls; a bolt closed and the bulk- V extending across said aperture and mounted on said walls for horizontal slidable movement and provided with a normally vertical extending depending lateral arm intermediate its ends and intermediate said walls, said arm being adapted for manually sliding said bolt into and out of interlocking engagement with said detent, said arm also being adapted to limit the sliding movement of said bolt in opposite directions, the respective moved positions of said bolt and said arm being visible, through said aperture, from the interior of the car.

2. In a refrigerator car having a hatch in the roof thereof, a hatch cover, and a horizontally disposed movable wall below said hatch adapted to deflect air borne elements entering the hatch; means for securing the hatch cover in closed position comprising a detent on said cover and detent means on said movable wall, said last named detent means including an aperture through said wall provided with opposedperipheral walls extending upwardly, abclt extending transversely through said opposed walls adapted for axial sliding movement and provided with a relatively fixed and normally vertically depending lateral arm intermediate its ends and intermediate said opposed walls adapted for manually sliding said bolt into and out of holding engagement with said detent, and a detent afiixed to one of said peripheral walls adapted to engage said arm and maintain said arm and bolt in hatch cover locking position until intentionally moved therefrom, the respective moved positions of said bolt and said arm being visible, through said aperture, from the interior of the car.

3. In a refrigerator car having a hatch in the roof thereof, a hatch cover, and a horizontally disposed wall below said hatch adapted to deflect air borne elements entering the car through the hatch; means for securing said cover in closed position comprising a detent on said cover and adjacent detent means on said wall, said detent means including an aperture through said wall, an inverted box-like housing having a top wall and depending side walls, said side walls being coincident with and affixed to the periphery of said aperture, a bolt extending through two of said side walls adapted for axial sliding movement across said aperture, a laterally depending arm on said bolt intermediate said-two of said side walls, said arm being adapted to be manually moved whereby to slide said bolt into or out of cooperative holding engagement with said detent on said cover, the respective positions of said bolt and said arm being visible, through said aperture, from the interior of the car.

4. In a refrigerator car having a hatch in the roof thereof, a hatch cover, and a horizontally disposed movable wall below said hatch adapted to deflect air entering the car through the hatch; means for securing said cover in closed position including a detent on said cover and cooperative detent means on said wall, said last named detent means including a box-like housing aflixed to said wall having substantially closed top and side walls and a bottom opening communicating with the interior of the car, a bolt extending through opposed side Wa'lls of said housing adapted for sliding movement in a'horizontal plane and having a relatively fixed depending operating arm intermediate its opposed ends and intermediate said opposed walls, said arm being adapted for manually sliding said bolt into and out of interlocking engagement with the cover detent, the respective positions of said bolt and said arm being visible from the interior of the car beneath said wall.

ARTHUR F. OCONNOR. 

